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Saturday, 11 May 2013

Kate in Topshop Polka Dot Dress for South Oxfordshire Wedding

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the wedding of close friends William van Cutsem and Rosie Ruck Keene in Ewelme, South Oxfordshire today.

Lily Sherston Twitter Feed

Much to the surprise of locals William and Kate popped into a local pub for lunch before departing in a Renault Clio for the wedding.

John Sawyer Twitter Feed

Prince William reportedly dated the bride, Rosie Ruck Keene, briefly during his 2007 split from Kate and has been close friends with the van Cutsems for years, especially the groom's brother Major Nicolas van Cutsem. The Major serves with the Household Cavalry and led the escort accompanying the Prince's royal wedding carriage. And who could forget William's goddaughter, Grace van Cutsem, who nearly stole the show at the wedding. The daughter of Lady Rose Astor and Hugh van Cutsem made an unforgettable impression on the big day. :)

The Duchess who is currently in her third trimester looked happy and healthy as she walked into the church with friends while Prince William took care of his usher's duties. The couple have been enjoying a quiet week at their Anglesey home where William works as a Search and Rescue pilot.

Tilly Pudwell Twitter Feed

Ewelme is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire. The picturesque church dates back to 1450. The present building has not changed greatly in over 600 years. Many people from all over the world come to see the tomb of Alice de la Pole, Geoffrey Chaucer's granddaughter, Duchess of Suffolk and founder of the trust 'God's House at Ewelme'. The founders' prayer is still used on special occasions:

'God have mercy on the Sowles of the noble Prince King Harry and of the sowles of my Lord William sum time Duke of Suffolk and my Lady Alice Duchess of Suffolk his wife our founders and of their fadyr and modyr sowls and all Cristen sowls'.

The Duchess completed the look with a black and white Vivien Sherriff fascinator, her black suede clutch and her Episode 'Angel' shoes. I thought this look a pretty and comfortable choice when Kate wore it at the Warner Bros. Studio opening and it works equally well for a spring wedding. More photos will be published in Monday's Daily Express.

I love it that Kate clearly does not want to up stage the bride at her special event. She could very well do so but her and William are very happy, so it seems to let the couple have their special day :)Wedding cheers and blessings to the young couple :)

Agreed! I think we've yet to see the Duchess wear an outfit to a wedding that is actually new? It is a very classy thing to do on her behalf, and I believe it shows how confident she is in her role. What a gal! MademoiselleMichael

Lovely post thanks you very much Charlotte! Lovely to see her again. Although I must say this I was let down by the Duchess this time:-( I loved this outfit at the Warner Studio but it is really cheap for a wedding IMO. She looked really nice at weddings in the past so I'm a bit confused now.Anett

I think she doesn't want to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes that won't get a great deal of wear. Many women wear a limited number of clothes when they are pregnant, and they may have just a couple of go-to dresses for special events.

I think it is true but people wouldn't hurt her for spending money on maternity wear. She doesn't need to act thrifty here when she spends more than 1000 pounds on a dress. I just miss more maternity wear and I suppose they want more than one baby so probably it is not a waste of money after all she like recycling.A

I think you need to refocus on the fact her life is not defined by fashion. You may follow her for fashion interest but I think her re-cycling approach is refreshing and makes her a great role model when times are economically difficult.

I also think that she will invest in new maternity clothes IF she intends to be at Trooping the Colour and/or The Garter Ceremony. Both of these are in mid-June.

And if I were you I'd be prepared to see the same outfit. I cannot believe you wrote "I feel let down by the Duchess". So maybe it might happen again.

CP I totally agree with you. Some people believe everytime the duchess has an engagement or goes to a wedding she need's to wear something new. But that is not how the Duchess works. That dress she wore today was just perfect. She does not want to upstage the bride and she does this every wedding she attends. Also when she is on her royal duties she makes sure tht her clothes are not the reasonshe is there

So Anonymous 1859/19:45 I can't understand why youthink the duchess let you down. She was not dressing for either one of you. She was goign to a wedding and did not what to up stage the bride. YOU want us to respect your opinion so you need to respect the Duchess which in my opinion you are not. Just because she has all the money in the world she watches how she spends it.

I understand where Anett is coming from. I thought it was not an appropriate choice, as it was 1) white, 2) polka-dotted (not very formal to my mind) and 3) very recently worn. Now, in her defense, perhaps not wearing white to a wedding is a US thing. Also, I understand a pregnant woman wanting to wear clothes that fit; however, she can probably afford another $80 top shop dress.

I guess my point is, I don't mind her choice, and think she looks cute. But Anett has a valid point and can certainly have her own opinion without being shamed for it.

Yes! Loved the dress for the studio tour. Wedding, not so much, but I see how this dress might have been the most comfortable choice on the day.My thought is Kate's clothes are not Kate, so it is not disrespecting her as a person to fail to gush over every fashion choice. She needs none of our approval.

@Pauline, "YOU want us to respect your opinion so you need to respect the Duchess which in my opinion you are not." O.o Do you realize how silly that sounds? Do you think any comment that doesn't praise the duchess is disrespectful?

I think its cos you seem to be criticising Catherine for not buying new clothes.

If you don't like what she wears cos its a rubbish outfit or badly made or whatever, then that is fair enough. But why should she keep on buying new clothes for people who follow her, when she doesn't need to.That is a key message whether she is pregnant or not.

Anonymous- If you want us to repsect you and your opinion you must respect the Duchess. Which in my opinion you are not. Remember she is not dressing for you, me or any other person on this blog. She try's very hard not to up stage the bride or the cause she is visiting on any given day.

Annett's comment wasn't disrespectful in any way! It's okay to have a different opinion- in fact it keeps things interesting. A bit of debate is a good thing IMO, and commenters shouldn't feel that they can't express a different opinion.

For CP. I was saying it was not the best choice for a wedding. I did not say she should have bought sth new. I wrote she should wear more maternity dress.

For Pauline respect means you accept sone has a diff. opinion. Why on earth I cannot critize her latest choice???? Iam still a fan and she is still not a saint. People start hurting people bec. sone says sth bad about her, in earlier posts likeewise. And yes she doesn't dress up for me but I tend to say she represents the royal family. And she is not without fault as noone is. Anett

I agree with you Gracie. The world would be a boring place if we all thought exactly the same. It could be that she planned to recycle one of the other outfits but it didn't come off so went for this look which looks comfy.

I agree with Gracie. If someone states an opinion it is just that their opinion!If one is is not expressing the royal cheerleader's opinion the comment is said to not be respectful. I feel if one does not describe the Duchess as the beautiful Duchess etc the opinion will be challenged. Be open folks

I have to say I agree with the above posters. I don't often post here and partly that is because I feel that if I say anything that isn't fulsome praise of Kate, I will get shot down by some of the regular posters. I love Kate but like all of us she isn't perfect and being critical of her sometimes whether it is choice of clothing or something she does, is not disrespectful - provided of course that the comment isn't hateful or inflammatory. We should all respect each other's right to an opinion, even if we don't agree with it.

I am sick and tired of having to say "IMHO" or "IMO". Well no kidding, if I am the one posting I think it has *MY* seal of approval and it will probably express MY OPINION not my neighbor's :p

Why should we have to post IMO so as to ask for FORGIVENESS for having a dislike or an opinion contrary to the majority?! Why should we ask for forgiveness for not praising a certain outfit?

Anet was is no way DISRESPECTFUL she is entitled to like and dislike whatever she wants. She is allowed (last I checked this being a cool OPEN/PUBLIC blog with settings for us to post our comments as well) to express herself without having the rest stone her.

To think that bc you might not like a particular accessory or outfit you are *HATING* or being *disrespectful* is ludicrous.

Kate's outfit is timeless and elegant. She has been *very* cautious not to upstage another bride (especially since she and William got married and her status changed--in a big way!). I give her credit for the class and humility she exhibits.

I love this polka dot dress which is very suitable for the time of the year and the stage of her pregnancy.I don't think any member of the Royal Family-at least during my lifetime, has ever just worn an outfit once.It is lovely to see these photos and I can imagine the Pub landlord's surprise when they turned up for lunch.

I agree with Anett. I have no problem with Kate wearing a familiar outfit not to upstage the bride although she certainly didn't worry about that before she was married and wore a string of fabulous bride-upstaging outfits including to two van Cutsem sons' weddings.

I just don't think this outfit is appropriate for a wedding regardless of whether you're following fashion or not. It's a cheap dress and it looks cute but cheap, and Kate doesn't look royal. Royal ladies regardless of their interest in fashion dress tastefully and elegantly. Kate used to do that but lately the short skirts have made her look faddish. This dress was fine for an amusement park but not for a wedding.

Kate has a couple of dresses such as the Erdam that she could have worn (if she can still squeeze into it) or the mint and even the peach outfit she last wore would look appropriate for a wedding.

So as someone who generally admires Kate's clothes, at least before her pregnancy and sometimes after, I'm disappointed in this look.

Not all of us will agree on her fashions and hopefully we will all be free and comfortable to express our opinions.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion and we do not all like the same things, but I confess to being confused by your argument.You liked the outfit for the opening of the film studio. an official engagement with her husband who is President (or patron--not sure which) of BAFTA. There was also a charity meeting in the afternoon. They seemed to have fun, but it was still an official Royal Engagement.Yesterday was a private engagement at the marriage of her husband's life-long friend not a Royal Engagement, so why was her outfit not "Royal" enough for that?

I 100% agree with you. Great to recycle a dress and not upstage a bride, just not the polka dot dress. There are many other dresses in Kate's collection which we've already seen that would are much prettier. That having been said, I'm a great fan of Kate's and I see her doing great things and she's only just begun. Marla

Kate was in a very unique position as William's girlfriend. When they attended a wedding, for example, she had to look the part (of a future royal). But in no way did she ever look as if she was trying to upstage the bride. Granted, a rare (these days) combination of youth, beauty and poise will do that anyway.

I have been reading all of the comments here regarding Catherine re wearing the poke-a-dot dress and I see nothing wrong with her wearing it to the wedding. It has nothing to do with being royal or not. Some of you here in my opinion think they are not respected. I don't see it that way. When you write that you are "let down" because Catherine did not buy something special to wear to the wedding is a little out there. I don't see why you would feel let down. Catherine does not dress for us or any other person but herself as another person wrote here.I think we should be happy that Caterine is not spending alot of money on clothes for persaonl engagements like the wedding. She is damn if she doesn't & damn if she does. Catherine can not win either way.

I agree with anon22:54. The dress makes sense for all practical reasons but for a wedding even I found it casual. Evn I think she could've recycled the peach dress she wore to Naomi House and it would've looked far better than the polka dress.thanks Charlotte for the update!xoxo

I loved the polka dot (so IT right now) for the amusement park but don't think it was the best choice for the wedding.

I am completely against wearing white to a wedding - I think this might be only a US norm. I couldn't understand why the dress that PIPPA wore to the duchess' wedding was white, and then all the media attention to her rear DRESSED IN WHITE. Although everyone loved Kate's dress, I read many newspapers that said Pippa upstaged the bride as something "new, fresh and hot" (I don't really agree!).

Secondly, the dress is just to cheap for such an event. I would never wear the same thing for an amusement park as to a wedding. They are two different categories.

Third, like someone mentioned, upstaging the bride was never a concern of hers before. So the fact that she now soo looks into recycling and not drawing attention makes me think this is just PR and less genuine.

So she "recycles" clothes, big deal. Nothing extraordinary, quite practical and eco-friendly. I like that, but I don't think she deserves a medal for it.

Any of her recent maternity outfit would have been so much better at this event. Both the Erdem and Coral dress + a new hairdo + fascinator = LOVE

Oh yeah, that fascinator is the ugliest thing ever!!! Something I can imagine on some other royals perfectly :p

And to make matters worse I find pics on my newsfeed where I can almost see her panties :/ Yikes! Definitely not the right choice of dress!!

Its goes to show your duchess loves recycling her own clothes insteaad of buying new one love she do that many of our celebs does not do that i enjoy the article i see in twitter and update to you are their any photos on the wedding or just this photo...

Its goes to show that your duchess is recyling instead buying new clothes its goes to show that not afraid to wore same outfit at the same time and i admire that many or celebs does not do that charlotte i see it on twitter than i say too you and hoola its update on your beautiful blog you know i hope when to baby birth of duchess it wont crashed like other blog you know i have many blogs that i know that crashed when the enagement and down to wedding i hope this blog remain and also britishroyal.info as well hi charloote when will next next enagement of duchess btw the duchess Revealed her baby due date here the link

I am very surprised that Catherine wore the same dress that she especially wore so recently. I had to double-check the date of the article, and the comments to make sure that I wasn't viewing an older article.

A repeated wear of the same clothes is a good and conscientious thing to do, but not in such a close timeframe, in my opinion.

I agree that, understandably, that she could recycle the dress by wearing it in a future pregnancy; or, perhaps later in this pregnancy.-but not this soon.

Oh well, people do as they'd like; and one learns as life goes on. She decided that she wanted to wear the same dress so soon-so that's that. I surely won't lose any sleep over her decision to do so. LOL

It is sad that we have a group of girls here who attack people whose opinions are different than theirs. If someone doesn't like Kate's dress it means they don't respect her? Come on girls..You all write about respect about different opinions but in practice it doesn't work at all..

Lousie, I have to agree she looks beautiful in anything she wears, especially being pregnant! I think that's because of her inner beauty as much as her outer beauty. So exciting to see what the future holds for their family and the monarchy! :)

I actually like the look. Looks young and fresh. Maybe the wedding was not super formal, so a ``fancy``dress was not needed. It annoys me that some people jump out of their seat as soon someone criticizes Kate. Why shouldn`t we? I say a lot of nice things about her, but as someone allready mentioned she is no saint. As long as you say it in a tasteful manner I think everyone should be allowed to express themself when they don`t like something about her.

She came, she smiled and she wore fab shoes. She can wear what ever she wishes at this stage in the game. We are clueless as to what fits her properly these days so maybe this is it. Maybe she feels pudgy in other outfits and possibly requires something cooler to wear than those heavier coat dresses. God love her for that! Charlotte: Any chance we can see the bride and groom of said wedding? Keep up the amazing work, here. Your posts are a wonderful treat!!

After looking at a few Spring Summer Collections, I think Kate's hat is either a bespoke hat by Philip Treacy or a bespoke headpiece by Rachel Trevor-Morgan. It will be fun to learn if the piece was designed by one of these two, or if it is a new person. I am reasonably sure that the hat was not by Locke&Co, Whiteley or Jane Corbett, but we shall see.

The hat looks a bit odd in the 'Express' photo here, looks like it has a pointed top! People keep applauding the fact that Kate generally wears clothes to weddings that the public have seen before, but this isn't a new idea, the Princess of Wales did this (for those of us who are old enough to remember!)

Thanks for the update Charlotte! Kate looks beautiful and happy! I loved the dress and ensemble, but will say I was surprised she recycled so soon after last wearing it. Don't think it's a "bad" thing, just surprised. :) I forgot who mentioned Trooping the Colour above, but I do hope Catherine attends. I am looking forward to being there and would LOVE to see her and William!!! :)

I hope all mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day! I was treated with breakfast in bed made by my kiddos and with many cards and pictures made especially by them. Had special things throughout the day! Blessed to be called mommy and can't wait for Kate to share in the sisterhood of moms!

Yes she look beautiful and glowing and yes happy mothers day to everyone i think she will beAttending the trooping colours asv well as order cermony i have time for mom hsppy mother day to all will be cooking breakfast she is woke up

Robin Indiana USAKate looks wonderful, she has a nice spring to her step being 7 months pregnant. Maybe she wore this cute dress again is she might not fit into it much longer. Kate is growing very fast. Happy Mothers Day for all the Moms and Moms to be.

I was just thinking how could anyone upstage a bride on her wedding day? Is that possible? It would be very presumptuous of Kate to think that she could upstage a bride. She doesn't the type to even think that way. Just having the Duchess come to a wedding - no matter what she wore - would draw some attention. Kate doesn't seem that she tries to draw attention to herself - I notice that she follows the dress code for the occasion. The only time I felt she was slightly not appropriate was when she wore the Ipswich coat with the sheer V neck underneath - the sheer V neck being the questionable choice in my mind.

I think the dress is ok - not very dressy for a wedding. Perhaps she feels very comfortable in it. I don't like the facinator... I guess she could have found another inexpensive maternity dress at Topshop, Asos or H&M - the do have some lovely options. Maybe she doesn't feel like shopping with all the interest in her condition. I wonder what the light green or apricot dresses under her coats looked like...

I can't understand these "rules" people seem to have made up... she's wearing something royal or she's not wearing something royal enough, she can rewear but not too soon, etc. etc. I love seeing what she is doing and wearing, but never do I forget that she is not supposed to be entertaining me. Her purpose is not to model clothes for the masses. She is living her life and people who are let down by something she wears, really need to focus more on their own lives and stop using her as a prop. She went to a friend's wedding. It had nothing and I mean nothing at all to do with any of us and the fact that we even have pictures to look at is intrusive. I'm not saying I don't want to see the pictures, but knowing it wasn't a public engagement, does indicate to me that I really have even less right to judge her. Thank god it seems like she is a strong enough person that she doesn't even bother to read what's being written about her. It wasn't a public function and it wasn't a government function. It's not about only being "allowed" to say she is "beautiful", it's about understanding that what she chooses to wear is her business, and truthfully, none of ours. You can like clothes and fashion and enjoy looking at pictures of women wearing fashionable clothes without getting all right and wrong about each seam and hem length. We are not her friends, her relatives, her stylists, her judge or jury. How about giving a dollar to the Baby Cambridge Fund every time you feel the need to sit in judgment of her? At least you would be paying for using her as a source of entertainment. Gosh, the fund would be up to 15,000 dollars by now.

The minute people stop being interested in what the royal family wears id the day there won't be a royal family. Appearance is very important to any member of the royal family and always have been through history. Kate and every other member of the royal family and royal families in other countries either are aware of that or should be aware of it.

When you come down to it how she looks will be one of the most major things that Kate will always be faced with. She is in a very public role with little other than what charities she supports and an occasional speach to evaluate her by. Most royal women are aware of that. I believe it was Princess Diana who noted that doing royal engagements means looking like your going to a wedding every day. Because Kate doesn't take on a lot of public engagements yet, every appearance will draw a lot of attention. The more Kate does, the less every shopping spree will be noted. Even Diana didn't make the papers every day as a full-time working royal.

No reason why Kate should read what's written about her but if somebody doesn't it's not a good situation. Royal family members are held to higher standards in exchange for the incredible state-supported privilages they receive. Royals who are tone-deaf, even in their private lives, can run into serious difficulties. Just ask the king of Spain. Little chance that the British royal family are in that kind of jeopardy but they do need to be mindful of public opinion.

At the end of the day, Kate can wear what she likes but if she doesn't dress as most royal ladies do, it will be commented upon. That's part of what she signed up for. Personally, I like the fact she re-wears clothes, but think she was dressed rather informally for that wedding and dressing with a little care would have avoided tabloid comments about her skirt blowing up. Kate was always very well dressed for weddings before her marriage and I would like to think that was her natural good taste, not that she was auditioning to be a royal.

Delighed to support the Baby Cambridge Fund but no one should be asked to do so based on whether or not we agree with each other. That puts us in a "right or wrong" catagory that isn't appropriate. We are all entitled to our varying opinions.

Personally, I enjoy looking at Kate and think she has a promising royal future. Do I feel sorry for her? No. Most of us have to organize respectable clothes, often five or more days a week, as well as do the laundry, pick up dry-cleaning and try to look appropriate on a budget. Kate doesn't have such a hard life and after ten years of being a princess in waiting, knew what she was buying into.

I recall before Kate was married, her family was demanded and receiving damages for invasion of her privacy. In the same issue of the London Times the family of a boy who had received a permanent brain injury from being struck in the playground didn''t receive any damages because the school supposedly couldn't have anticipated his injury. I've enjoyed following the royal family for decades, but at that moment, there seemed something skewed about a wealthy young woman receiving damages because someone photograghed her playing tennis while a child who's life was damaged didn't. So yes, I will enjoy following Kate but I'm not going to worry about her.

@Anonymous 10.16 there is neither resentment, jealousy nor judgement dripping from @ 21.19 post, just a different and well articulated opinion and isn't that the purpose of the comment board on a blog?

Hello!Catherine looks beautiful as usual, but in my opinion, this dress is too casual for a wedding. And that hat is the most hideous one I have ever seen the Duchess wearing.I hope you have a great week :)

This pic offers a better view of it and I am so close to hating it with a passion, LOL! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=423095081122308&set=a.201031716661980.42355.198889870209498&type=1&theater

Anyway, I like the outfit, but have you seen the photo of the wind blowing the skirt practically in her face? This is why some of us criticize her hemlines. I have a link but don't know how to post it.

I have read a million times that the Queen and Princess Diana had little weights sown on the hems to avoid such accidents. I can't understand why Kate doesn't follow their example. I remember she had another incident on tour in Canada with a yellow dress on the tarmac (you could see her glutes in that pic bc it was from the back).

:( unfortunate. As you say, that it why she should know better with such short hemlines given the outdoor activities and the million photographers at such events.

I've been following Prince Harry's trip to the States and it seems to be a huge success so far! I feel his work with wounded servicemen is outstanding. Seeing the videos and pictures so far, you know he has made a huge difference in the lives of those he has met and sat to have a chat with. He is a fabulous ambassador for Britain! You Brits should be proud! :)

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